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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 02-15-2013, 11:25 AM
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Ivory look / but cheaper

I have an idea for a knife and want to use something for the handle that will give it the look of Ivory, but until I get some more experience I don't think it would be a good idea to go the cost of real Ivory!

Now here is the kicker I want to do a scrimshaw or engrave possibly with a dremmel a design into the handle as well, another reason I don't think I want to go full cost on Ivory in case the design doesn't turn out as well as I have it in my mind, I don't want to throw away a good piece of Ivory!


I have thought of bone, and that is OK but is very hard to engrave as I have tried and didn't get as good of results with a dremmel.

I may have to send it too someone to do a scrimshaw on it as I have tried that and it looks worse than my dremmel work! Another problem with bone is the thickness. It is sometimes real hard to find bone thick enough to flatten to go against the tang and yet be thick enough to contour the outside of the knife handle!

I remember some one using some kind of wood that looked almost like Ivory when it was all polished out, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was!!! Does anyone know the wood I am talking about?

Given that information has anyone got suggestion for a handle material, that might work good for such a handle? I am open for any suggestions on which direction to go with this project.


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With every custom knife I build I try to accomplish three things. I want that knife to look so good you just have to pick it up, feel so good in your hand you can't wait to try it, and once you use it, you never want to put it down !
If I capture those three factors in each knife I build, I am assured the knife will become a piece that is used and treasured by its owner!

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Old 02-15-2013, 12:05 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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One popular choice is Ivory Paper Micarta. This is not White Paper Micarta, it has an off white color that resembles ivory. It can be carved and scrimmed. Although it costs about twice what other Micarta blocks cost it is still far below the cost of real ivory. Most of the knife suppliers would have it.

There are also several synthetic ivories out there, check your catalogs or try google. Avoid anything that contains polyesther.

I've used the Micarta quite a bit and I've used real blocks of ivory. There's no real replacement for ivory but the Micarta comes close and it's far more durable ...


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Old 02-15-2013, 01:18 PM
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Why Not go with White Camel Bone it is excellent and does really well when you do scrimshaw on it . See here

http://imgur.com/MI8FGz5,kBRHXG4

I smudged a lil graphite on it to show the detail .

Sam


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Old 02-15-2013, 02:09 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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One problem, that's carving and not scrimshaw. You can use bone, from what I've read, but it takes preparation with something like super glue to keep the ink from running. Boone trading company sells a product for just this purpose.

Doug


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Old 02-15-2013, 04:45 PM
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Guys thanks for the info. Sam that is not scrim but real fine carving. I will have to do some research on all the suggested materials!


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With every custom knife I build I try to accomplish three things. I want that knife to look so good you just have to pick it up, feel so good in your hand you can't wait to try it, and once you use it, you never want to put it down !
If I capture those three factors in each knife I build, I am assured the knife will become a piece that is used and treasured by its owner!

C Craft
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Old 02-15-2013, 09:47 PM
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You mentioned a wood--holly, perhaps? It's about the lightest wood I can think of.
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Old 02-16-2013, 08:40 AM
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You know I think that is it. I went to do a Google search and when you put in Holley wood it doesn't want to give you anything about the tree!

However doing a search on wood from the Holley tree works and I came up with a picture that looks like the wood I was thinking about!

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CDgQ9QEwAg

Holley is considered a hardwood! Thanks for the insight, I knew a friend had mentioned making some pen blanks from it and they looked like Ivory when done and finished! Thanks again.


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With every custom knife I build I try to accomplish three things. I want that knife to look so good you just have to pick it up, feel so good in your hand you can't wait to try it, and once you use it, you never want to put it down !
If I capture those three factors in each knife I build, I am assured the knife will become a piece that is used and treasured by its owner!

C Craft
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Old 02-16-2013, 12:39 PM
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Yea I know it was Carving . I have done a bit of Scrimshaw on it as well it needs to be stabilized for that .

Sam


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Old 02-16-2013, 04:19 PM
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GHEzell GHEzell is offline
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Thick bone scales (I've bought a few of these, they are impressive):
http://usaknifemaker.com/handle-mate...tra-thick.html


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Old 02-16-2013, 05:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJStricker View Post
You mentioned a wood--holly, perhaps? It's about the lightest wood I can think of.
Dang you NJStricker I went searching for Holley wood and before I knowed it I had done ordered up enough various woods about 8 different knife handles!

You know stuff I just been wanting to try on a blade! Oh well I almost had my card paid off again! OH well it will just take me another knife to make enough to pay it off this time!


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C Craft Customs
With every custom knife I build I try to accomplish three things. I want that knife to look so good you just have to pick it up, feel so good in your hand you can't wait to try it, and once you use it, you never want to put it down !
If I capture those three factors in each knife I build, I am assured the knife will become a piece that is used and treasured by its owner!

C Craft

Last edited by C Craft; 02-16-2013 at 05:53 PM.
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Old 02-16-2013, 05:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GHEzell View Post
Thick bone scales (I've bought a few of these, they are impressive):
http://usaknifemaker.com/handle-mate...tra-thick.html
Thank you for the link, just glad the card had cooled and I had it back in the wallet before I saw this one!


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C Craft Customs
With every custom knife I build I try to accomplish three things. I want that knife to look so good you just have to pick it up, feel so good in your hand you can't wait to try it, and once you use it, you never want to put it down !
If I capture those three factors in each knife I build, I am assured the knife will become a piece that is used and treasured by its owner!

C Craft
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  #12  
Old 02-16-2013, 06:24 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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Quit yer bitch'n. No such thing as too much handle material.

Doug


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Old 02-16-2013, 10:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C Craft View Post
Dang you NJStricker I went searching for Holley wood and before I knowed it I had done ordered up enough various woods about 8 different knife handles!

You know stuff I just been wanting to try on a blade! Oh well I almost had my card paid off again! OH well it will just take me another knife to make enough to pay it off this time!
You don't have it bad yet. Eventually you get to the point that you consider cutting a tree down just to get at a burl. Or you're at a buddy's house, and ask for a chunk of his firewood because you think it might have nice grain, or you are at a yard sale and notice the souvenir dolphin from somebody's vacation is ironwood. . .
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Old 02-16-2013, 11:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJStricker View Post
You don't have it bad yet. Eventually you get to the point that you consider cutting a tree down just to get at a burl. Or you're at a buddy's house, and ask for a chunk of his firewood because you think it might have nice grain, or you are at a yard sale and notice the souvenir dolphin from somebody's vacation is ironwood. . .
I know, I have driving by a house for the past few years that has what looks to be two huge dead cedar trees. They wer all broke up after one of our hurricanes and someone came in and limbed them right up to the body. Between the storm damage and the close cut it killed the trees. Or so I thought one of them has new foliage this year.

One of them has this huge burl about 3' in diameter growing on the side of it. I don't know how many time I have been tempted to stop and offer to cut it down for them! The only thing there are two of those trees and are about 3'+ in diameter and 16 -18' tall and I don't have a saw big enough to tackle them.

Didn't figure it would be right to only offer to cut the one you know! I have thought about lining up a portable saw mill and taking them down for the lumber but this would require some heavy equipment, etc. etc. So yeah I know just what you mean. In my younger days I would have already done this deal.

But yes I do know exactly what you mean. My neighbor has talked about cutting a big huge Crape Myrtle he has in front of his house. I told him when he got ready to let me know. It will have to have drying time but there is some beautiful wood in one! I think I may have been drooling when I told I was in when he's ready, by the way he looked at me!


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C Craft Customs
With every custom knife I build I try to accomplish three things. I want that knife to look so good you just have to pick it up, feel so good in your hand you can't wait to try it, and once you use it, you never want to put it down !
If I capture those three factors in each knife I build, I am assured the knife will become a piece that is used and treasured by its owner!

C Craft

Last edited by C Craft; 02-16-2013 at 11:24 PM.
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Old 02-16-2013, 11:36 PM
metal99 metal99 is offline
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That's too funny, I bought a few carvings from a fellow locally. Two of them are Arizona desert iron wood (50 lbs) and one was a beautiful fish carving made from
Cocobolo. I got them all for $35

Last winter my dad and I went to an old farm yard and cut about 200 pounds of box elder burl, spalted box elder burl and maple. I'm just waiting patiently for the wood to dry enough to send it for stabilizing.


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